Gael García Bernal
Born 1978 · Age 48
Mexican actor and filmmaker known for Amores perros, Y tu mamá también, The Motorcycle Diaries, Mozart in the Jungle and many international films; co-founder of Canana Films and founder of Ambulante documentary festival.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
Born to actress/model Patricia Bernal and actor/director José Ángel García.
Started acting as a toddler
Began acting at about one year old (appeared in early theatrical productions/TV with parents).
Starred in telenovela 'El abuelo y yo'
One of his major teen television credits; spent much of his adolescence in telenovelas.
Taught literacy to indigenous communities
At 14 he taught indigenous people to read, often working with the Huichol people in Mexico.
Participated in Zapatista demonstrations
At age fifteen he took part in peaceful demonstrations supporting the Zapatista uprising of 1994.
Appeared in short film 'De tripas, corazón'
Early short film credit (1996) which received festival attention.
Began studying philosophy at UNAM (started university studies)
Began university-level studies in philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) before a student strike and sabbatical.
Took sabbatical and traveled through Europe
During a prolonged student strike at UNAM he took a sabbatical to travel around Europe (period leading to move to London).
Accepted to Central School of Speech and Drama (London)
Moved to London and became the first Mexican accepted to the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Starred in 'Amores perros' (international breakthrough)
Played Octavio in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Amores perros; film received critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
Won Chicago International Film Festival Best Actor (Amores perros)
Received Best Actor award at the Chicago International Film Festival for Amores perros.
Starred in 'Y tu mamá también'
Co-starred with Diego Luna in Alfonso Cuarón's Y tu mamá también; film was a major crossover success and became the second-highest grossing Spanish-language film in the U.S.
Won Ariel Award for Best Actor (Amores perros)
Won Mexico's Ariel Award for Best Actor for Amores perros.
Won Marcello Mastroianni Award (Venice) — shared with Diego Luna
Recognized at the Venice Film Festival (Marcello Mastroianni Award) along with Diego Luna.
Met Dolores Fonzi (personal)
Met Argentine actress Dolores Fonzi on the set of Private Lives (2001); began a relationship that led to children.
Portrayed Che Guevara in TV miniseries 'Fidel'
Portrayed a young Ernesto 'Che' Guevara in the 2002 TV miniseries Fidel.
Starred in 'El crimen del Padre Amaro' (The Crime of Father Amaro)
Played Father Amaro in the Mexican box-office record-breaker El crimen del Padre Amaro.
Won Chopard Trophy at Cannes
Received the Chopard Trophy (Male Revelation) at the Cannes Film Festival.
Won multiple festival/critics recognitions (early 2000s)
Collected awards and nominations internationally (e.g., Chicago, Cinema Writers Circle nominations) as his global profile rose.
Starred in 'The Motorcycle Diaries' (Ernesto 'Che' Guevara)
Portrayed Che in Walter Salles's The Motorcycle Diaries; film was an international hit and surpassed previous box-office records for his earlier films.
Starred in 'Bad Education' (La mala educación)
Worked with Pedro Almodóvar, playing multiple roles including a drag character.
BAFTA nomination for Best Actor (The Motorcycle Diaries)
Nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Che in The Motorcycle Diaries (nomination announced/recognized in 2005).
Performed in 'Bodas de Sangre' at Almeida Theatre (theatre work)
Appeared in a 2005 London theatre production of Federico García Lorca's Bodas de Sangre.
Co-founded Canana Films (with Diego Luna)
Founded the Mexico City-based production company Canana Films with longtime friend Diego Luna (founding year widely reported as mid-2000s).
Starred in 'Babel' and 'The Science of Sleep'
Appeared in Alejandro González Iñárritu's Babel and Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep, expanding international profile.
BAFTA Rising Star nomination
Nominated in BAFTA's Rising Star category (2006).
Directed first feature film 'Déficit' (release)
Made his feature directorial debut with Déficit, released in 2007 (writer/director/actor credit).
Starred in 'Blindness' and 'Rudo y Cursi'
Cast in Fernando Meirelles's Blindness and reunited with Diego Luna in Rudo y Cursi (Mexican comedy-drama).
Birth of son with Dolores Fonzi
Their son was born on 8 January 2009 in Madrid, Spain.
Co-directed 'Los Invisibles' for Amnesty International
Co-directed four short films (Los Invisibles) focusing on Central American migrants and their journeys; he also narrated and conducted interviews for the tetralogy.
Starred in 'Even the Rain' (También la lluvia)
Played a director in the film that became Spain's official entry for the 2011 Academy Awards.
Produced/created documentary projects on migration and human-rights issues
Through Canana and collaborations created documentaries addressing topics such as migrant journeys and Ciudad Juárez femicides (documentary production and activism).
Cameo in Nike ad 'Write the Future' as Cristiano Ronaldo
Appeared as himself (playing Cristiano Ronaldo) in Nike's high-profile World Cup advertisement campaign.
Received Washington Office on Latin America's Human Rights Award
Won WOLA's Human Rights Award in recognition of his documentary and human-rights-related work (Ambulante and Los Invisibles).
Ambulante Documentary Film Festival (founder)
Founded Ambulante to bring documentaries to communities where they are rarely screened (festival co-founded and active in touring exhibitions).
Birth of daughter with Dolores Fonzi
Their daughter was born on 4 April 2011 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Narrated 'Human Planet' for Hispanic audiences (premiere)
Narrated the Hispanic-audience version of the BBC/Discovery series; premiered on Discovery en Español on 25 April 2011 (aired in Latin America 12 May).
Appeared in 'Casa de mi padre' (comedy with Will Ferrell)
Played a feared drug lord in the Spanish-language comedy starring Will Ferrell; reunited on-screen with Diego Luna.
Announced (reported) to star in 'Zorro Reborn' reboot
Was set to star in 20th Century Fox's proposed Zorro reboot (report surfaced 2012; later development varied).
Produced/appeared in documentary 'Who is Dayani Cristal?'
Involved in work addressing migration and human-rights issues; continued documentary production through Canana and affiliated projects.
Cast as Rodrigo de Souza in 'Mozart in the Jungle' (series start)
Took the lead role of Rodrigo in the Amazon Studios comedy-drama; series ran 2014–2018.
Portrayed Maziar Bahari in 'Rosewater'
Starred as journalist Maziar Bahari in Jon Stewart's directorial biopic (critical acclaim for performance).
Member of the main competition jury at Cannes Film Festival
Announced as a member of the main competition jury for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
Began production on 'Zoom'
Started production as the star of the dramatic comedy Zoom, directed by Pedro Morelli.
Starred in 'Desierto' (2015) — Mexico's submission context
Played an illegal immigrant hunted by a vigilante; Desierto was among his notable 2015-16 projects.
Won Golden Globe for Best Actor – TV Musical/Comedy (Mozart in the Jungle)
Won his first Golden Globe Award for his performance as Rodrigo in Mozart in the Jungle (ceremony in January 2016).
Starred in 'Neruda' and 'Desierto' submitted for Best Foreign Language Film
Had leading roles in Neruda (Chile) and Desierto (Mexico), both submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Named to Time 100 Most Influential People
Included in Time magazine's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world (2016).
Directed and contributed to anthology film 'Madly' (segment)
Directed and wrote the segment 'The Love of My Life' for Madly (2016 anthology), crediting further directing work.
Golden Globe nomination and continued award recognition
Following his Golden Globe win he continued to be nominated for other awards (example: 2017 Golden Globe nomination and other festival prizes).
Member of U.S. Dramatic Jury at Sundance Film Festival
Served as a jury member for the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
Voiced Héctor in Pixar's 'Coco'
Provided the Spanish-language voice (and main protagonist voice in certain versions) of Héctor in Coco, a major global Pixar release.
Continued to take on English-language and international projects
Sustained international acting career across languages and markets — example roles in films and jury/industry positions.
Portrayed lead roles in several 2018 films (The Kindergarten Teacher, Museo, The Accused)
Continued high-profile acting roles, including playing a poetry teacher (The Kindergarten Teacher) and other leading film roles.
Directed 'Chicuarotes' (feature film)
Directed the feature film Chicuarotes (2019), marking his second feature as director.
Began relationship with Fernanda Aragonés
Entered into a relationship with Mexican journalist Fernanda Aragonés (publicly acknowledged from 2019).
Joined EXILE Content Creative Advisory Board
Announced with Diego Luna and Adam Grant as part of the Creative Advisory Board for EXILE Content for TV and film development.
Named one of The New York Times' 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (No. 25)
The New York Times ranked him No. 25 in its list of the 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (published November 2020).
Starred in M. Night Shyamalan's 'Old'
Played a vacationer in the thriller Old (2021).
Birth of child with Fernanda Aragonés
He and Fernanda Aragonés had a child on 30 September 2021.
Cast in Marvel/Disney+ special 'Werewolf by Night'
Cast as the titular character (Jack Russell/Werewolf by Night) in Marvel Studios' Disney+ Halloween special.
Starred in 'Cassandro' (2023)
Played the lead in Cassandro (2023), continuing a strong presence in international cinema.
Starred in Hulu miniseries 'La Máquina'
Starred alongside Diego Luna in the Hulu original miniseries La Máquina, playing the eponymous character; also served as executive producer.
Continued film projects and casting for upcoming films
Listed with upcoming credits (Holland, Magellan, Zero A.D. in production/announced) and ongoing industry activity as of 2024-2025.
Key Achievement Ages
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